Vehicle mounted camper coach

ABSTRACT

A trailer coach mounted on a pickup truck, the floor of the coach supported on the bed of the truck and the coach having an elevated floor over a compartment assessible through outwardly pivotable doors concealed in their closed position by a carpet covering. One of the doors supports the posts of a table which is foldable unto itself when not used or extended by being pivoted to an open position, the outer half being supported on a pair of pivotal arms carried on the half secured to the posts. The table may be disassembled and stored in the compartment and oppositely disposed ledges over the walls of the truck bed may be extended over the elevated floor and provide double sleeping area while leaving space to pass therebetween. The water lines for the appliances in the camper may extend through the compartment which functions as an insulating chamber protecting the water lines from the freezing outside temperatures.

May 2, 1972 United States Patent Dodgen et al.

[54] VEHICLE MOUNTED CAMPER COACH Primary Examiner-Philip Goodman [72]Inventors: John N. Dodgen, Humboldt Taylor, Dakota City,

A trailer coach mounted on a pickup truck, the floor of the 7 D I d t IH b ldt, l 3] Asslgnee odgen n us nc um 0 owa coach supported on the bedof the truck and the coach having Filed: May 4, 1970 an elevated floorover a compartment assessible through outwardly pivotable doorsconcealed in their closed position by a carpet covering. One of thedoors supports the posts of a table which is foldable unto itself when21 Appl. No.;

not used or extended by g'uli.

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being pivoted to an open position ported on a pair of pivotal armscarried on th the posts. The table may be disassembled a compartment andoppositel 724 32 WW 9 2 C 6 mam y disposed ledges over the walls ofReferences Cited the truck bed may be extended over the elevated floorand rea while leaving space to pass ppliances in the partment whichfunctions g the water lines from the a e m r mm S &6 fl nt Hto [6 re; eu m nao Wwm e I k d mm Shn e Te t a a w mm oww m dWmU S eerfl db .m e nZmac m aS ol tcafi 437 223 666 999 222 s T N N m E n. T mm m is H ."wm ue T nn A m w T rG S o D WDC E n 862 N 265 U 999 HHH 240 033 1 1 884 5451 1 11 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Patented May 2, 1972 JOHN M D00N Mum7025 VEHICLE MOUNTED CAMPER COACH The pickup truck mounted campersparticularly are limited in the amount of space available for normalliving. There is frequently insufficient room for dining, sleeping andstorage of supplies and equipment such as skis, hunting equipment andfishing gear. If a dining table is employed it utilizes space thatcannot be used for sleeping purposes. The skiing, hunting and fishingequipment unless otherwise accommodated will only clutter up the camper.

The camper coach of this invention provides a maximum storage area,dining accommodations plus sleeping space. This is accomplished byproviding an elevated floor including outwardly pivotal doors covered bya shag rug which camouflages the doors. A compartment under the doorsprovides storage space for skis, guns and a table which is mounted onone of the doors and is cantilevered over the other door. People may siton opposite sides of the table on ledges extending over the sides of thepickup bed. The table may be disassembled and placed in the compartmentunder the elevated floor and the ledges may be extended towards eachother leaving space therebetween to walk through thus providing amaximum amount of sleeping area. Bunk-type beds may be pivoted down fromabove over the ledges and additionally sleeping space is availableforwardly in the camper over the drivers compartment of the truck.

Additionally, campers used in the fall and winter months are subjectedto freezing problems when water operated appliances are utilized. Thecamper coach of this invention provides insulating chamber for the waterline as it extends through the compartment between the raised floor andthe camper floor.

This invention consists in the construction, arrangements andcombination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objectscontemplates are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth,specifically pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the camper coach of this inventionmounted on a pickup truck.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the camper showing the doorscovering the compartment in the elevated floor partially open.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3 3 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4 4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the doors intheir closed position and one ledge opened up for sleeping purposes anda table in its folded position installed on one ofthe doors.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the dining table fullyopened for use by people sitting on the ledges on opposite sides; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the dining tabledisassembled and stored in the storage compartment in the raised floorand the ledges fully extended and the upper bunk beds pivoted down toprovide maximum sleeping accommodations.

The camper of this invention is referred to generally by the referencenumeral 10 in FIG. 1 and is shown mounted on the bed 12 of a pickuptruck 14 having a cab 16. The pickup truck 14 includes supplementaldetachable ground engaging wheels 18 to stabilize the truck during roaduse and give additional support to the camper coach 10.

The camper coach 10 includes a longitudinal section 20 extending betweenthe side walls of the pickup bed 12. This section 20 of the coach hasside walls 22 and 24. A pair of ledges 26 and 28 extend outwardly overthe truck bed side walls and connect to outer upstanding coach walls 30and 32 a forward compartment 34 is provided in the coach and is incommunication with the coach section 20 through a passageway 36. A rearcoach section 38 includes the kitchen appliances 40 including stove,sink and refrigerator.

The rear section 38 of the coach includes a floor 42 which extends intothe coach section 20 which has an elevated floor 44 including outwardlypivotal doors 46 and 48 which meet along the longitudinal center of thecoach and are supported at their inner edges by a member 50 whichdivides the space under the doors into two compartments 52 and 54. Thedoors 44 and 46 are covered with shag rug carpeting 56 similar to thecarpeting 56 on the floor of the rear coach compartment 38 and thusconceals the dividing line between the doors when in their closedcondition as seen in FIG. 6.

In FIGS. 5 and 6 a breakfast table 60 is shown supported on a pair oflegs 62 removably received in base support plates 64 secured to the door56. The table top is split down the center and includes identical halfsections 66 and 68 connected together by a piano-type hinge 70. A pairof pivotal arms 72 are connected to the table section 68 to be pivotedout under the other section 66 when the table is in its open position asseen in FIG. 6 and may be pivoted back under the section 68 when thetable is folded to its closed position of FIG. 5. The table legs 62being removably attached to the table section 68 may be disassembledtherefrom and stored along with the table 60 in the storage compartment54 under the door 44.

The compartments 52 and 54 not only provide storage but additionallyfunction as an insulation chamber to prevent water pipes or the likesuch as the pipe 73 in FIG. 2 from freezing when the coach is being usedin winter conditions, such as on skiing trips or the like. Otherwise,the water pipes would have to be run outside of the coach and would bedirectly affected by the outside temperature. In this invention thewater pipes may be maintained inside the coach where the temperature isroom temperature but yet are out of sight since they extend only throughthe elevated floor 20 and into the appliances requiring water or thelike.

The ledges 26 and 28 include cushions or mattresses 76 and 77 which mayextend out over the elevated floor 20 as seen in FIG. 7 to provide apassageway 80 therebetween but double the sleeping space afforded whenthey are in their retracted position of FIGS. 2 or 6, for example.Additionally, sleeping bunks 82 may be folded down from the walls 30 and32 to provide additional sleeping space which further supplements theso-called master bedroom in the forward coach compartments 34. It isseen, if desired, that additional people could sleep on the elevatedfloor 20 under the extended ledge cushions 76 and 77 as seen in FIG. 7.

It is thus seen in use that maximum use of the camper coach 10 may beafforded through the use of applicants design in this invention. Anynumber of combinations of features may be used together or alone such assleeping accommodations are provided on the top and bottom cushions ofthe bunk 82 and the ledge cushion 77 on the left-hand side of the coachin FIG. 5 while the right-hand side of the coach is used as a diningfacility with people sitting on the ledge 28 at the table 60 in itsfolded condition. By the table being opened to the position of FIG. 6,people sitting on the ledge 26 may additionally be accommodated at thetable 60. When the table is in its folded closed position of FIG. 5,passage thereby between it and the extended ledge bed 76 is afiorded.When sleeping only is desired, the table 60 is removed from the postsand placed inside the compartment 54 as seen in FIG. 2 or thecompartment 52 leaving only the base support plates 64 exposed. Theseare hardly noticeable in the shag rug 56. Considerable additionalstorage space is provided in the elevated floor 44 by covering theentire floor of the coach section 20 extending between the forward coachsection 34 and the rear section 38.

We claim:

1. A camping coach having a bottom floor supported on the bed of a truckand oppositely disposed ledges extending over the truck bed side walls,and an elevated floor on said coach floor extending substantially thelength of said truck bed and providing a compartment between saidelevated floor and said coach floor, said elevated floor including apair of hinged doors providing access into said compartment.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein one of said doors only includes apost support means, a table post means detachably engaging, at one endand post support means, and a table top detachably secured to theopposite end of said table post means.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein said table top includes pivotallyinterconnected half sections adapted to pivot from a first positionfolded with one half section on top of the other half section and to asecond position open and horizontally disposed, said table post meansengaging only said one table top half section.

4. The structure of claim 3 wherein said pair of doors pivot along theirouter longitudinal edges and meet along their inner longitudinal edgesin a closed condition.

5. The structure of claim 4 wherein said compartment is divided into twocompartments by a door support ledge extending along the longitudinalcenter of said compartment on said camper floor and said doors engagingsaid ledge along their adjacent longitudinal inner edges when in aclosed condition.

6. The structure of claim 5 wherein said table post means includes twopost members longitudinally spaced apart and said post support meansincludes two post support elements for engaging said two post members.

7. The structure of claim 5 wherein said two compartments include onecompartment having a width sufficiently large enough to receive saidtable top in its folded condition and allow said doors to be closedthereupon.

8. The structure of claim 7 wherein said ledges include expandable bedsadapted to extend towards the center of said camper over said pair ofdoors and provide a walk passageway therebetween when said table top hasbeen removed.

9. The structure of claim 1 wherein said compartment includes afreezable conduit extending therethrough connecting a water source towater operated appliances in said camper whereby said conduit isinsulated from freezing temperatures outside said camper.

10. The structure of claim 1 wherein said camper floor includes a rearfloor portion extending rearwardly of said elevated floor therebyproviding a step between said rear floor portion and said elevated floorinside said camper.

11. The structure of claim 1 and a carpet covering is provided on eachof said doors to conceal the presence of said doors when in their closedcondition.

1. A camping coach having a bottom floor supported on the bed of a truckand oppositely disposed ledges extending over the truck bed side walls,and an elevated floor on said coach floor extending substantially thelength of said truck bed and providing a compartment between saidelevated floor and said coach floor, said elevated floor including apair of hinged doors providing access into said compartment.
 2. Thestructure of claim 1 wherein one of said doors only includes a postsupport means, a table post means detachably engaging, at one end andpost support means, and a table top detachably secured to the oppositeend of said table post means.
 3. The structure of claim 2 wherein saidtable top includes pivotally interconnected half sections adapted topivot from a first position folded with one half section on top of theother half section and to a second position open and horizontallydisposed, said table post means engaging only said one table top halfsection.
 4. The structure of claim 3 wherein said pair of doors pivotalong their outer longitudinal edges and meet along their innerlongitudinal edges in a closed condition.
 5. The structure of claim 4wherein said compartment is divided into two compartments by a doorsupport ledge extending along the longitudinal center of saidcompartment on said camper floor and said doors engaging said ledgealong their adjacent longitudinal inner edges when in a closedcondition.
 6. The structure of claim 5 wherein said table post meansincludes two post members longitudinally spaced apart and said postsupport means includes two post support elements for engaging said twopost members.
 7. The structure of claim 5 wherein said two compartmentsinclude one compartment having a width sufficiently large enough toreceive said table top in its folded condition and allow said doors tobe closed thereupon.
 8. The structure of claim 7 wherein said ledgesinclude expandable beds adapted to extend towards the center of saidcamper over said pair of doors and provide a walk passagewaytherebetween when said table top has been removed.
 9. The structure ofclaim 1 wherein said compartment includes a freezable conduit extendingtherethrough connecting a water source to water operated appliances insaid camper whereby said conduit is insulated from freezing temperaturesoutside said camper.
 10. The structure of claim 1 wherein said camperfloor includes a rear floor portion extending rearwardly of saidelevated floor thereby providing a step between said rear floor portionand said elevated floor inside said camper.
 11. The structure of claim 1and a carpet covering is provided on each of said doors to conceal thepresence of said doors when in their closed condition.